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Title: Among the Beasts and Briars
Author: Ashley Poston
Sub-genre: Fantasy
Somehow this book completely slipped under my radar, but when I opened last month’s Owl Crate and saw this gorgeous cover, I was super excited to read it.
Cerys is the daughter of the king’s royal gardener, and she also happens to be best friends with the princess. Cerys’s kingdom is kept safe by the crown, which was imbued with magic and gifted to the king many generations back–at least, that’s what the villagers have always been told. But at the princess’s coronation, the city falls under attack by creatures from the forest, creatures the crown is supposed to guard them from. Cerys is one of the only ones not harmed in the attack and she must venture into the woods to try to find help. Along the way, Cerys discovers a new side to the fox who has been her companion and starts to learn that the stories she’s always been told are falling short of the truth. It’s up to Cerys to figure out a way to save the people of her town and learn the truth of the magic of the crown. A crown that might actually do more harm than good. I will ease your fears and say this one comes to a happy ending, and even though it looks like there is a companion book coming, this one works as a stand alone (yay for no cliffhangers!).
This book was like a lemon cake snack of a fantasy. There are all the elements I love in fantasy–magic and royalty and world-building–but without a lot of the dense descriptions you sometimes find in fantasy. The pacing was spot on and I blew through this one in a day. I loved Cerys and her take charge attitude. I also really liked how her love interest is not what you would expect. There were lots of interesting plot twists and turns, and I really felt like I was transported to another world without being bogged down (if that makes sense). Overall, the whole thing was a delightful tale.
Overall Rating: 5 stars
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